Now in its seventh year, Cavalier Genève’s Limited Edition Series has a very simple formula. Each year, the company makes a new Cavalier Genève Limited Edition cigar in a different blend and size combination, and with the exception of the first release, Cavalier declines to disclose said blend.
For 2024, Cavalier Genève released a size that wasn’t a parejo—the straight, tubular shape cigar like a robusto or toro—the first time that’s happened for the series. The company didn’t just choose a run-of-the-mill torpedo; instead, it selected a double perfecto with a pigtail. While not identical to either, this vitola uses the near symmetrical double perfecto plus pigtail combination that Drew Estate made popular with its Flying Pig and Feral Flying Pig releases.
Since the company’s launch, Cavalier Genève has placed a small piece of edible gold foil in the area where the band typically goes. While some Cavalier cigars don’t have the gold, this one does. Furthermore, as the company has done before, gold has another tie-in to this release. There are 1,948 boxes released, a number that references 1948 degrees Fahrenheit, the melting temperature of gold.
“This year not only continues the tradition of our Limited Editions, which gets one release per year, but it celebrates it by not only coming to the market with a unique blend but also with a brand new size for Cavalier,” said Sébastien Decoppet, founder of Cavalier Genève, in a press release when the cigar was announced in September 2024. “ We believe that this year’s cigar perfectly embodies what our Limited Editions have been standing for since 2018, which is bringing a unique, “one and done” cigar experience that every year pushes the boundaries of our expertise to ensure a fantastic new experience for the cigar lover.”
Note: The following shows the various Cavalier Genève Limited Edition vitolas. Some of these cigars may have been released after this post was originally published. The list was last updated on Oct. 29, 2024.
- Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2018 (4 3/4 x 58) — 500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (5,000 Total Cigars) — $11 (Box of 10, $110)
- Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 (4 3/8 x 58) — 1,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars) — $11 (Box of 10, $110)
- Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2020 (6 x 54) — 1,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars) — $12 (Box of 10, $120)
- Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2021 (6 x 54) — 1,650 Boxes of 10 Cigars (16,500 Total Cigars) — $12 (Box of 10, $120)
- Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2022 (6 x 54) — 1,948 Boxes of 10 Cigars (19,480 Total Cigars) — $12 (Box of 10, $120)
- Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2023 (6 x 54) — 1,948 Boxes of 10 Cigars (19,480 Total Cigars) — $14.60 (Box of 10, $146)
- Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2024 (5 1/2 x 58) — 1,948 Boxes of 10 Cigars (19,480 Total Cigars) — $15.90 (Box of 10, $159)
85
Overall Score
Whether done by Drew Estate, Gurkha or now Cavalier, I oftentimes struggle with this vitola. The Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2024 has plenty of bright spots, but the combination of uneven combustion and a propensity to have the flavor turn metallic makes for an overall experience that I’m not all that interested in repeating. I'd be curious to know what this blend tastes like in a more standard shape and I wouldn't be surprsied to learn the answer is better. While this series has produced some excellent cigars, this one is far away from that mark.
- Cigar Reviewed: Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2024
- Country of Origin: Honduras
- Factory: Fábrica Centroamericana de Tabaco S.A.
- Wrapper: Undisclosed
- Binder: Undisclosed
- Filler: Undisclosed
- Length: 5 1/2 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 58
- Shape: Round
- MSRP: $15.90 (Box of 10, $159)
- Release Date: Aug. 14, 2024
- Number of Cigars Released: 1,948 Boxes of 10 Cigars (19,480 Total Cigars)
- Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
While it’s not entirely apparent in the photographs—at least not until closer inspection—the wrappers are somewhat rough. They’re not the roughest wrappers I’ve come across for a recent review, but if you like your cigars to have a smooth-feeling texture—not really sure why that would be the case—this will not be the cigar for you. There’s no cellophane on the cigars, which makes the job of identifying the aroma more difficult. The first cigar has some apple sweetness over a woody aroma, the second cigar smells of muted Pine-Sol or a similar cleaner, and the final cigar seems to combine the two. The cigars are either medium-plus or medium-full, with the flavors muted. There’s not much aroma from the foot of the first cigar, just a hint of sugary sweetness. The second cigar has some of the Pine-Sol smells and something that reminds me of the smell of granola, though both scents are quite mild. The third cigar has just the granola sweetness, but like the other two, it’s quite mild. After all the faint and muted aromas, those descriptors don’t appear in my cold draw notes. The first cigar has a very sweet floral flavor with some cinnamon and vinegar underneath, it’s medium-full and has a tight draw. The second cigar drops the floral sweetness for an apricot flavor, though the sharp cinnamon is still there; it’s also medium-full though the draw is open. The third cigar is different: medium-full with sweet bubble gum over some ginger and with a resistance that is good.
As will be explained further in the Final Notes, this type of double perfecto has routinely given me trouble. One of my issues is that I find a high rate of these types of cigars to have poor draws. Unfortunately, that’s immediately apparent for the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2024s: all there of the first puffs don’t have enough smoke due to tight draws. Flavor-wise, there’s a muddy earthiness joined by some fruity sweetness, sharp cinnamon and a toasted bagel. Depending on the cigar, the first puff is medium-plus or medium-full. Once the taper has burned through, the draw opens up, though, on two of the cigars, it gets too open. Flavor-wise, there’s a lot of dry pretzels over some sharp black pepper and a regular dose of harshness. The finish sees the pretzel go away with burnt caramel and, towards the end of the first third, an increasing amount of metallic aspects. Retrohales have dry bread flavors like pretzels and flour tortillas, but they are overwhelmed by charcoal toastiness and the ever-present black pepper. As the finish develops, there is more pepper—both black and green—as well as toastiness. Flavor is full, body is medium-plus, and strength is medium-all. Outside of two loose draws—and the requisite impact on smoke production—construction is okay. It could be better, but it’s not to the level where it’s actively hurting the cigar.
I find the profile to get mushy in the second third; a term used when the flavors seem to lose their individual precision and depth, resulting in flavors that can converge in a way where the sum is lesser than the parts. Fortunately, the flavors are not static. There’s now an array of different saltiness over the aforementioned dry bread flavors—at times, it tastes like a very plain tortilla covered in salt—along with oak, walnuts, cashews, simple syrup and a damp earthiness. Outside of the saltiness, none of the flavors are mainstays of the profile, though all three cigars have all of these flavors at various points. The saltiness gets even more intense during the finish, joined by terroir, damp earthiness and some mango. While the mango is interesting, the best thing about the finish is that the metallic aspects have disappeared compared to the first third. Retrohales have cashews, earthiness and more sugar, though there’s some roughness that I don’t find when not pushing smoke out through my nose. One other oddity is that the finish doesn’t provide any sort of defining change. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-full. Uneven burns force touch-ups to each cigar. Given how uneven the burn line needs to get for me to mention it, this issue probably also led to some other combustion problems as well. The draws are still more open than I’d like, though I’m unsure how much of the issues I’m having are related to that aspect.
While I was fearful that the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2024 might become monotonous, the final third has a very noticeable shift. At its best, the cashew flavor becomes even more distinct and sits atop a metallic earthiness, various wood sensations, saltiness and some sweetness. Unfortunately, as time progresses, it can taste quite burnt, perhaps a result of the touch-ups. It’s not the relit cigar taste, but it reminds me of a very dark roast coffee with a sweeter burnt flavor and woodiness. There’s a sharp black pepper on the tongue, though unlike before, the pepper seems to only be there. The finish has the stronger flavors dissipate, which allows for subtleties like mango sweetness and some sweet mint, but they are largely drowned out by the roasted earth flavor. Retrohales have even more earthiness—sometimes dry, other times like the damp earth flavor—that is both less metallic and less sharp. There are some mild amounts of brown mustard, bread and, on the final cigar, a sharp white pepper similar to horseradish. The first two cigars’ retrohales are generally dry with toastiness and earthiness, while the third cigar has more of the horseradish flavors, though there’s also a lot more of the burnt aspects. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-full. All three cigars need at least one touch-up during the final third, though two of the cigars need two more.
Final Notes
- At this point, I’m not sure I really have a favorite vitola. My answer is almost always going to be: whatever vitola the blend works best in. There are some vitolas I’d prefer not to smoke: super large ring gauge cigars and these more symmetrical double perfecto vitolas that I’d consider Flying Pigs or slightly larger Flying Pigs. As someone that enjoys plenty of perfectos and salomones, my issue with this shape is that I’ve had so many issues before, a much higher rate than what I find on a standard parejo or belicosos. That said, they aren’t the same issues each and every time, but it seems more often than not.
- In the case of the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2024, the issues were: loose draws, uneven burn and a flavor profile that always seemed constrained. Unfortunately, the cigar world has so little scientific understanding of whether these things are random occurrences or the result of some sort of physical attribute of the vitola. As such, I don’t want to make any bro science claims about what I think is the issue. Given that there are plenty of people who smoke these vitolas without any issues, I wonder if my slower smoking pace is part of the problem.
- Fortunately, this particular vitola avoided one of my Flying Pig complaints. I find the shorter Flying Pigs to feel awkward to hold.
- The ash was extremely flaky on each cigar and made quite a bit of mess.
- Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
- These cigars are listed at 5 1/2 x 58. Due to the pigtail, the length measurements are less precise.
- Final smoking time was a relatively quick one hour and 40 minutes.
- Site sponsor Atlantic Cigar Co. carries the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2024.
Update (Oct. 31, 2024) — Due to an error on my part, nearly every cigar that was measured in October produced results that were a half-inch longer than the cigars actually were. This review has been updated with the correct lengths.
85
Overall Score
Whether done by Drew Estate, Gurkha or now Cavalier, I oftentimes struggle with this vitola. The Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2024 has plenty of bright spots, but the combination of uneven combustion and a propensity to have the flavor turn metallic makes for an overall experience that I’m not all that interested in repeating. I'd be curious to know what this blend tastes like in a more standard shape and I wouldn't be surprsied to learn the answer is better. While this series has produced some excellent cigars, this one is far away from that mark.
I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.